


endless symphonia

by survivalinstinctvalkyria



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, This is half of them being cute and half of my keichi feelings spilling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 06:39:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16362830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/survivalinstinctvalkyria/pseuds/survivalinstinctvalkyria
Summary: Let us offer youA conducted melody more certain than words.Let us play for youThis still unknown sound that connects the present with eternity.(A series of Eichi trying to confess his love to Keito... in foreign languages.)





	endless symphonia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [acciss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/acciss/gifts).



> More keichi!
> 
> This isn't the last of my keichis, either.
> 
> Cissi, please enjoy this!
> 
> (For the translation key, look the end notes.)

 

“Я люблю тебя всем сердцем.”

Eichi's words break through the comforting silence between them, not roughly or unwelcomed, but sudden, and without Keito being prepared to comprehend them.

“What?” he asks, looking up from the paperwork to look back at Eichi.

“I said: Я люблю тебя всем сердцем, Keito,” Eichi repeats.

“Do you think I know what the hell that means?” Eichi just cocks his head, it's fun when Keito is irritated like this. “I don't. Say it in Japanese or don't say it at all.”

“I thought I should brush up on my foreign languages. My mother taught me the basics of a few when I was young, and I'm fluent in three, so I thought it would be a fun exercise to talk to you like this. I don't really mind if you don't understand.”

Brows creased, Keito rubs his temples, like Eichi's words have already succeeded in giving him a migraine. “It's annoying to not be able to understand what someone is saying when they're talking to you.”

“I guess you'll just have to live with that.”

Keito sighs, and they fall back into silence.

It had been a white lie that'd he'd told Keito. Well, brushing up on his foreign languages is one of his goals, but there's something much more significant about this—

—One way or another, he wants to tell Keito that he loves him. And that's hard when Keito always shoots down his attempts at flirting or being extra affectionate - it's hard when he's almost certain that Keito won't just accept those feelings after hearing them. Hard enough that Eichi has to take countermeasures. As long as he can say it, maybe he'll feel the peace of mind coming from the thought that Keito has heard it, even without understanding what those words mean.

He'd decided to start with his mother's first language, the first he'd ever been taught outside of Japanese, one of the three he's fluent in. _Я люблю тебя всем сердцем_ , or 'I love you from the bottom of my heart,’ words like this are enough for Keito, aren't they?

But Keito can't understand, and Eichi's feelings still fall flat right beneath his foot.

* * *

 

_“Eichi,” his mother had started on one of her rare visits to the hospital, “Как вы поживаете?”_

_How are you, she's asking, and Eichi'd been proud of himself for remembering._

_“Как всегда. А вы?”_

_“Очень хорошо.”_

_“... I'm glad, Mother.” It was always harder to talk to her in Japanese, but at a mere seven years old and lacking enough textbooks to improve his speaking, he was always left with his mother tongue. Perhaps it was because of that, the unguardedness of, the lack of 'this is for practice’ that speaking in it made Eichi uneasy._

_“Good, good. Well, I can't stay here for long, but I just wanted to stop by. Your Russian is improving, I'll get you more study materials. Novels, I think, might help.” Everything was always direct with her, no dilly-dallying, she knew what she wanted to be done and she got it done without hiding it. Although, the matter of what exactly she wanted done was a different matter, as it ranged from business to visiting a circus oversees over the weekend with no preparation._

_Eichi managed a small smile in reply. “Thank you, ah, спасибо.” A half-forced smile graced her features. “Do you think I'll be able to talk to people properly in Russian after reading those books? Will I be able to tell people that I love them?”_

_Something sounding like a laugh fell past her lips. “Oh, you mean for your friend?” Eichi nodded. “I can teach you how to say it right now, so listen closely. Я люблю тебя. You can say it to me, your friend, and in the future, your wife.”_

_Eichi had nodded. Words that feel sweet on his tongue like ‘I love you’ were something he would savor more than the ordinary words._

* * *

 

Today, too, Eichi is going to try to reach out to Keito with these feelings. They have cleaning duty together, so it shouldn't be hard to squeeze in time for a small, and what will be probably ignored, confession.

As he gets ready to clean the blackboard, felt eraser in hand, Keito comes up behind him, taking the eraser from his hands in a gentle movement.

“I'd rather not risk you inhaling the chalk, Eichi. Here, let me do it.”

Maybe it's from the way that Keito is so shamelessly gentle around him, so soft and caring despite his use of _kisama_ , that draws the words he speaks from his lips, like a breath of air he can't help but release.

“Kocham cię.”

“Again with the foreign languages?” Keito asks, sounding less annoyed and more intrigued.

“Mhm,” Eichi nods, not yet facing Keito and unable to gauge his reaction from his face. “Ah, wait, let me try again. Chcę z tobą spędzić resztę życia.”

“That's… longer. Are you saying the same thing, or…?” Keito is taking this better than Eichi thought he would, or maybe he's just realized that Eichi is impossible to handle.

“Same thing, just… more sincere, I guess.” It's kind of unnerving, how Keito hasn't moved from behind him, still gripping Eichi's left hand in his own gently, and he wills his heart to calm down.

“Could you say it again?”

 _Unfair,_ Eichi thinks, because it is terribly unfair how Keito can lean just a bit closer so that Eichi can feel his breath against his ear, and even though he's certain Keito can't understand him, he feels nervous repeating it. Worse is that Keito probably doesn't even realize it, the bastard.

“Chcę z tobą spędzić resztę życia.”

“I see, thank you. Now stand back, you've done enough work. Let me clean the board.”

Obliging, Eichi steps back, forgetting their position and accidentally ending up with his back pressed against Keito's chest. Keito snorts, stepping back further to let Eichi go without bumping into him.

* * *

 

Yet again, Eichi finds Keito drowning in paperwork in the student council room, a fortress of metal cans built up around him. It's almost comical, including the way that Keito immediately grunts when he hears the door open, as if it's from reflex.

“Relax, it's just me,” Eichi chirps out, cradling the teapot in his hands carefully.

“How's that supposed to make me feel better?” Eichi's brow furrows into a pout as he walks up to Keito. Setting the teapot down, he begins to discard the old card left in Keito's workplace, Keito himself only grumbling out something that Eichi interprets as a thank you.

“I'm trying to work,” Keito grumbles, the sound slightly drowned out as Eichi focuses on pouring Keito a cup of tea.

“Hush, Keito,” Eichi scolds, like he's a mother, or, forbid the thought, Keito's housewife, or, well, househusband. “I made you some tea, so drink it.”

“If it shuts you up.” Keito takes a sip, eyes meeting Eichi's for the first time this encounter. “Have some yourself, you went through the trouble of making it.”

A smile curves onto Eichi's features softly, as he pours some tea for himself and takes a sip, eyes still trained on Keito.

“You're in the tea club, you shouldn't drink so messily.”

Any questions Eichi may have wanted to ask are sushed by the thumb he feels glide over his lips, the forefinger tucked under his chin to keep him from fidgeting away. Breath catching, Eichi finds himself frozen.

“Du bist mein Ein und Alles…” he whispers despite himself, and the thumb pauses, before it's pulled back and Keito is at a _reasonable_ distance.

“What?” Keito prompts. He takes a sip of his own tea, before shuffling for the papers again.

“Du bist mein Ein und Alles,” Eichi repeats. “And stop working, I told you I wanted you to take a break, didn't I?”

“I can't afford to waste too much time. You can go back to your tea club now.”

“Don't wanna,” Eichi whines, “I want to spend more time here with you. I want to take care of you too, so grant me at least this much.”

Keito's pen, now held over the paperwork as he resumes it, pauses, hovering over the paperwork for a second as Eichi watches him consider. In the end, he sighs, and his work resumes as he speaks.

“If that's the case, then you can stay. Just don't annoy me. And if you go do something stupid and need me to take care of you don't whine about wanting to take care of me, no one's forcing you to.”

A smile appears on Eichi's lips as he brings his tea to his lips. “This is why…” he starts, watching his breath disturb the tea's peace before taking a sip.

“Why what?”

“Du bist mein Ein und Alles.”

Keito looks at him for a moment, looking pensive, before something like resolution shines through his eyes and he nods. Surely, he couldn't have figured it out already, right?

“Alright then. May I have another cup of tea?”

* * *

 

When Eichi arrives to the student council room, a bouquet of flowers is on his desk. No note is attached to it and none of the other student council members, most notably Keito, seem to be paying his presence any mind.

Taking his seat silently, Eichi glances over the rest of the members before getting to work. The flowers are a bit of a mystery, and it's not like he can limit his choices so easily. _Fine_ had a live recently, after all, and a successful one at that, so quite a few people may have gone out of their way to give him flowers. Wataru, possibly, maybe Hajime, or Tsukasa, maybe even Ritsu. Or, he thinks, giving the room a third one-over, one of the student council members is really good at keeping a facade.

A sneeze interrupts him, and his gaze snaps to the offender—one Mao Isara. There's a second sneeze, and Eichi can see Yuzuru hand him a tissue without looking away from his work. Wiping his nose, he mutters a _thanks,_ but it's cut off by a third sneeze.

“Fukukaichou,” he starts shakily, “I know I shouldn't complain, it's a—a-achoo!—very nice gesture, but I'd appreciate if you could give Kaichou flowers somewhere else next time. I've—” a sneeze cuts him off, “Been trying not to sneeze for the past few minutes.”

Keito looks a mix between panicked, concerned, and betrayed, making Eichi wonder if there was something between them.

“Isara!” he practically yelps, sounding scandalized.

“I know! I'm sorry!”

“Oh, what's this about, Keito?” Eichi piques in, finding it absolutely glorious how Keito's ears grow redder.

“You shut up!” Keito yells back, not sparing him a glance. “Isara… you can work somewhere else today.”

Mao stands with a nod, probably feeling awkward if his stiff stance is any indication, tossing out the tissue on his way out.

“You got me flowers? Oh, Keito, hundrede hjerter ville være for få til at bære al min kærlighed til dig,” Eichi lilts, resting his chin on his palm.

“Shut up, we're around our juniors.”

 _‘Around our juniors’?_ Eichi thinks, _Well, that's curious._

* * *

 

After a live with _fine_ , Eichi is properly exhausted. With deep, heaving breaths, he approaches the front of the stage. What is he as an idol if he can't at least bid the audience his adieus properly?

“Everyone, thank you for coming to see us,” he starts with a smile, the atmosphere around seeming light and airy despite his fatigue. “As always, it's a pleasure to perform for all of you.” Some of the members in the crowd scream, obviously in awe with him even though he only speaks mere pleasantries.

“There's a special someone I was trying to reach tonight, and if all went well, I already have.” The words _special someone_ surely have riled up the audience, and he continues as they listen with bated breath. “You know who you are, so listen well: il mio cuore è solo tuo.”

The majority, if not all, of his audience probably has no idea what he's saying, but as another wave of applause washes over him, he tells himself that this is just a manifestation of his love for Keito—that, surely, his love is reaching him.

* * *

 

The first thing that Eichi sees when he opens his eyes is someone's form leaning over him—Keito, he realizes quickly, even quicker when the form speaks:

“You're awake, thank God.”

And, finally coming to his senses, Eichi realizes that his shirt is slightly wet, a hand is clutching at the sheets, and that Keito is crying over him. Leaning up, he tries to assure Keito that it's alright, but his breath is stolen as Keito's arms wrap around his waist to pull him into a hug, Keito's face burrowing into the side of Eichi's head to sob openly.

“Don't do that ever again!” Keito demands, not responding as Eichi brings his hands to come through Keito's hair.

“I'll try not to,” he speaks softly.

“Trying isn't enough, Eichi! I—” a sob steals his words, “When I saw you fall, right in front of me, and you passed out in my arms, I…” He hugs Eichi closer, as if that will keep Eichi from ever leaving again. “I was so scared, I thought you would die, I thought—”

“Hush, Keito, it's alright. I'm here, aren't I?” Eichi interrupts.

“ _Right now,”_ Keito responds bitterly. “But what if you die next week, tomorrow, tonight? What if you die right now? I can't let you die, Eichi, I _can't._ Please don't leave me, Eichi, I… I'd do anything just to keep you by my side, so please… please just stay alive. I need you, Eichi.”

Eichi feels faint, and he curses his body because right now he needs to assure Keito that it'll be alright, right now, if he were to pass out, it would only make things worse, panic Keito even more. But that doesn't make a difference, and as he feels himself falling asleep, he makes a final effort to tell Keito what he's always wanted him to understand. He wonders if he should stop playing this little game of his, finally speak in Japanese so that Keito understands, but he knows it would only makes the blow stronger to Keito, so he doesn't.

“I promise, Keito. Jag är kär i dig, Älskling.”

* * *

 

“Guess who's back,” Eichi chirps, _right_ into Keito's ear.

“You bastard!” Keito exclaims after a pause, like his childhood friend hasn't just come back from the hospital.

“What—?” Eichi starts in surprise, but he's cut off by Keito turning around to pull him into a hug.

“I was so worried! Do that again and I'll kill you myself!”

“You wouldn't, Keito.”

“I _would,”_ Keito affirms. “Just… I'm glad you're back. Thank you for coming back to me.”

“I told you I would; Я люблю тебе від щирого серця.”

When Keito pulls back, Eichi is sure he can see a smile curving onto his lips.

* * *

 

Walking home with Keito, Eichi dares to loop his arm with Keito's, and lean against his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Keito asks, like it isn't obvious.

“I'm _cold,”_ Eichi whines back.

“No, you're not. You're just being a brat.”

“You think I'm a brat, Keito? I'm hurt.”

“You-” Keito starts, turning to look at Eichi, looking exasperated. “You are being ridiculous.”

“Noo, I'm not. Keito's being mean.”

“I can't balance properly when you cling to me like this.”

“Nope, Keito's just a meanie, he's just—”

“You're acting like a five year old.”

“—A big meanie.”

“Honestly, I'm just insulted.”

“Hmm?” Eichi hums, not yet pulling away from Keito.

“ _Meanie_ is the best you've got?” Keito still pushes him off, but grants Eichi the luxury of keeping their arms intertwined. “I expected more from you, Eichi.”

“Oh, so Keito wants me to bully him, huh?” This is it, Eichi's specialty: acting innocent but torturing Keito's poor, poor soul.

“I don't like how you phrased that.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Definitely, you brat. C'mere.” Pulling his arm out of Eichi's, Keito backsteps in front of him so that they're standing face to face. Taking some of Eichi's skin between his fingers, he pinches it _hard._

“Ow, Keito, that hurts,” Eichi whines, and Keito's grip gets tighter. “Keito, I'm serious! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please stop…!”

“Heh, even someone like you begs, huh?” Keito smirks, and Eichi can't feel bad as his foot meets Keito's ankle.

“I don't like the way _you_ phrased that.”

“Brat.”

“Meanie.”

A moment passes in silence, Keito's touch on his cheek softening to something almost _fond,_ before Eichi giggles, and Keito can't help but chuckle himself.

“Olen hulluna sinuun, Keito.”

At first, Keito doesn't say anything, looking oddly contemplative, and, for a moment, Eichi worries that he should've kept his mouth shut.

“You can talk to me in Japanese, you know,” Keito bites out, words cutting through the calm atmosphere between them like butter.

“I told you, Keito, I—”

“Wanted to practice, right?” Keito interrupts, “You've had enough practice. If you want to tell me something, say it in a language I understand.”

“You shouldn't need to understand my words to understand _me,_ Keito,” Eichi snaps back. They're quarreling, _again,_ and Eichi knows he isn't making the situation better but he can't help it. These secret proclamations of love have been a place of comfort and sincerity for Eichi, and having Keito snatch it away so suddenly has put him in a fight or flight mode.

“When you speak in a language I can't understand, it's like you don't want me to understand at all, you hypocrite.”

“Fine then,” Eichi says, taking a step away from Keito. “It doesn't matter if you understand, anyway. I'll just keep my mouth shut from here on out, alright?”

“You're talking like I care,” Keito spits out bitterly. “Do what you want, we're out your house already. Make your maids deal with you and your stupid foreign languages.”

So Eichi walks past Keito, right up to the mansion's front door without looking back once—and that's a feat to be proud of, especially since he can hardly keep his eyes off of Keito normally. Once he's in his room, he drops his bag, falling back against the door and immediately sliding into a sitting position, as he curls in on himself and dares to let out a choked noise—not quite a sob, but getting there.

His love couldn't reach Keito after all.

* * *

 

In the next few days, Eichi does his best to not think about things like love and loving Keito, and tells himself that under absolutely no circumstances will he mention that love around Keito.

Because he knows it will come out in a foreign language, because he knows he's too weak to just say it directly.

Keito had been right about him being a brat—actually, brat isn't even close to what he is. Coming from Keito, the word _brat_ sounds almost endearing, but there's no way someone like Eichi endears Keito.

Someone who is so cowardly that they'll confess their love over and over so long as their recipient can't hear it, and shy away the moment they get a glimpse of it. Someone so selfish that they give the love of their life a taste of that love, before snatching it and hiding it away. He's disgusting, really, it's a wonder Keito even dealt with him in the first place.

Ignoring Keito when he asks if he's been taking care of his health, Eichi stows his heartache away and wishes that Keito will just forget about him.

* * *

 

They're the last two in their class after a long Friday of lectures. Everyone else, eager for the weekend to start already, and bustled out quickly, but incidentally, both Keito and Eichi had lingered behind. Keito's cleaning the blackboard—it had been Kaoru and Izumi's turn to, but they, unsurprisingly, ditched—and Eichi's eyes trace over his form more than once.

His reflexes aren't fast enough yet, it seems, because he doesn't look away the moment Keito turns around, and they awkwardly make eye contact.

“Hello,” Keito starts, but Eichi stubbornly turns his head away and denies him eye contact. “Are you still mad, Eichi?”

“I thought you didn't care,” Eichi responds, because he isn't ready to answer, not when it's himself who he's mad at, not Keito.

“It's annoying when you get like this,” Keito says with a shake of his head, returning to his seat and reaching into his back to grab a piece of looseleaf paper covered in crease marks.

“I know you think I'm annoying, I'm not forcing you to stay.”

“I think things about you other than that.”

“Like what? I'm an absolute monster?”

Irritance contorts Keito's features, unfolding the sheet of paper and grazing his eyes over it. “Like this, listen well:

Я тоже тебя люблю.”

His voice is soft and sincere, and it feels like someone stole the air out of Eichi's lungs, because he suddenly has forgotten how to breathe.

Hearing Keito brings him back to the first time he confessed his love to Keito, that little white lie he'd told. He thinks his heart might just burst that instant, but Keito opens his mouth to speak again.

“Ja też cię kocham.”

And Eichi's brought back to their cleaning duty together, Keito's chest a comforting warmth against his back, his breath against Eichi's ear making the butterflies in the blonde's stomach do backflips.

“Ich liebe dich auch.”

Inhaling Keito's third declaration of love, this time in German, tastes similar to the taste of that tea he'd had when forcing Keito to take a break, tastes the same as those breaths stolen when he felt Keito's thumb brush against his lip teasingly.

“Jeg elsker også dig.”

A fourth declaration tickles Eichi's heart, and he might just sneeze an _I love you_ back, the same as Mao had done when his allergies had bested him when Keito had gone out of his way to give Eichi flowers.

“Anch’io ti amo.”

Now, it feels like Keito's the one up on the stage, professing his love in their tiny corner of his love, and his applause is the rapid beating of Eichi's heart.

“Jag älskar dig också, hjärtanskär.”

This time, he's in Keito's arm again, feeling Keito's tears stain his shirt, and promising that he won't let Keito he alone, that he'll live just so that Keito doesn't have to grieve for him.

“Я теж люблю тебе.”

Ah, this isn't their second reunion, isn't it? The first time, Eichi had been the one to speak out his love in Ukrainian, so it's only fair that Keito does it as well.

“Minäkin rakastan sinua.”

The final confession of love between them is spoken in Finnish, a resolution to an earlier argument between the two of them who had turned a blind eye to love, who hesitantly turn to look at it now.

“That's all, Eichi.”

Only now does Eichi realize Keito's hands are trembling, that his posture is stiff and the paper seems to be stained with his sweat. Hesitantly himself, Eichi stands from his seat, softly cupping Keito's cheeks with his palms.

“I love you, Keito.”

Setting the paper down, Keito finally makes eye contact with Eichi, and it feels like he's walking on air.

“I know—I love you, too.”

Eichi's about to speak again, but he's cut off by Keito's lips against his.

“Mmfh—!?” Keito doesn't pull back for another moment, greedily pushing Eichi back against a desk and letting his tongue swipe across his lips.

“That's your punishment for making me wait so long,” he speaks decidedly.

“I don't know why you felt the need to wait so long, you obviously understood what I was saying if you were able to reply. Getting mad at me, too! You're seriously the worst! Your pronunciation is _terrible_ by the way.”

Keito's ears turn a bit red at that, and Eichi takes it as a small victory. “I wouldn't need to speak with my _terrible_ pronunciation if you hadn't felt the need to only confess to me in foreign languages.”

“If you knew I was confessing, then why didn't you respond in Japanese?”

Now Keito's entire face is red, and Eichi takes it as a big victory. “When I figured out, I was going to, but… it was nice hearing you confess to me, even if it was in a different language. It was like a little vulnerable part of yourself that I got to keep all to myself, and… I liked that, so I pretended to not understand.”

“God, Keito, you're gonna make me blush.”

“Good. You look better that way than you do when you have that stupid grin on your face.”

Determined _not_ to blush and let Keito get his way, Eichi turns away.

“Oi, that's unfair,” he hears Keito say, before he feels those lips of his brush against the lobe of his ear, tracing a trail across his jaw and to his lips. There's no way Eichi isn't blushing now, and he can feel Keito smirk against his lips. “There, now we're even.”

Eichi tightens his grip on Keito's cheeks, pinching them softly. “You're incorrigible,” he breathes out.

“You are, too,” Keito responds. “And I thought you only spoke three languages.”

“I can say I love you in more than three.”

“Why?”

“Just three isn't enough to show you how I feel Keito—Я люблю тебя всем сердцем.”

He watches with delight as Keito mulls over how to respond, like a kid not quite remembering the answer to a test question. Keito figures it out though, and his lips brush against Eichi's softly as he replies:

“Я тоже тебя люблю.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic starts with Eichi telling Keito 'I love you' in Russian, and ends with Keito telling Eichi 'I love you' in Russian... Just a thought.
> 
> Translation key:  
> (Sorry if I butchered this, I tried to look for actual speakers of the language to find translations, but there might still he mistakes.)
> 
> Russian:  
> Я люблю тебя всем сердцем - I love you from the bottom of my heart.  
> Я тоже тебя люблю - I love you too  
> Polish:  
> Kocham cię - I love you  
> Chcę z tobą spędzić resztę życia - I want to spend the rest of my life with you  
> Ja też cię kocham - I love you too  
> German:  
> Du bist mein Ein und Alles - You’re my everything/you mean the world to me  
> Ich liebe dich auch - I love you too  
> Danish:  
> Hundrede hjerter ville være for få til at bære al min kærlighed til dig - a hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you  
> Jeg elsker også dig - I love you too  
> Italian:  
> Il mio cuore è solo tuo - my heart is yours  
> Anch’io ti amo - I love you too  
> Jag är kär i dig, älskling - I'm in love with you, darling  
> Jag älskar dig också, hjärtanskär - I love you too, sweetheart  
> Ukrainian:  
> Я люблю тебе від щирого серця - I love you very much  
> Я теж люблю тебе - I love you too  
> Finnish:  
> Olen hulluna sinuun - I'm crazy about you  
> Minäkin rakastan sinua - I love you too
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
